I'm Good, I'm Gone
by BellaGiornata
Summary: It's been 2 years since Emily Riddick has seen her family. Feeling as guilty as ever, she shows up on Thanksgiving after a long day on the road. Only, instead of finding things as she expects them to be, she's found a huge problem. Now she's left relying on a couple of hunters she can't stand to help her figure things out. Dean/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, I started a Dean story. My Sam story is still on hiatus because I am trying to keep that one going along with the actual episodes for the most part, which requires me to watch the episodes before writing new chapters. That takes up more time than having my own ideas and writing. I know it has been a long time since I've posted anything, I'm sorry! But I was soooo busy these last few months. Anyway, for the time being, I'll post the beginning of this story, I'm using the slowest internet connection ever for this week so I hope I have no issues uploading the stories! I currently have 4 chapters to post, let me know if you guys want me to keep up with this story!**

**In the meantime, hopefully over winter break in a few weeks, I'll work on my Sam story if I have time. Sorry!**

* * *

It had been such a long, boring eight hour drive by myself. I was pretty sure my ass would leave a permanent indent in the Mazda. Judging by the mileage I'd put on the car in only a few years, you'd have thought I'd had the car forever. But no, I just lived in my car.

Flipping the windshield wipers on low, I tried squinting at the street sign on top of the lights at the intersection. It had been awhile since I had been here, and judging by a few new gas stations and department stores, things had built up over the last two years.

"Freemont?" I mumbled to myself, eyeing the street sign.

I chewed my lip for a bit, trying to remember the street I was supposed to turn on. My eyes shot to my phone lying in the cup holder in the center console of the car. I had called them a couple hours ago to let them know I had been ahead of schedule and that I'd be a few hours early, but no one had answered the phone and I'd had to leave a message.

_Probably busy getting dinner together._

Deciding not to try and call again for help with directions, I stubbornly continued on when the light turned green. Passing two more streets, Greenwich and Astor, I found the one I was supposed to take a left on.

"Fletcher," I said in recognition at the name. "That's the one."

I didn't recognize the Seven-Eleven on the corner.

"It really has been awhile," I admitted to myself, feeling a pit of guilt in my stomach.

I made the turn and remembered I went straight four blocks before I took a right on Edmonton. I began recognizing houses that reminded me of my childhood suddenly. The pit of guilt in my stomach seemed to grow at the memories flooding back.

After driving a few minutes on Edmonton in guilty silence, I spotted the house. It looked like it always did in my memories; just like it did in the few photos I had always carried in my purse. There was no white picket fence and wrap around front porch with blue shutters on the windows—but it was home. A fairly big two-story baby blue house with its wood siding and Momma's flower garden that ran along both sides of the light brown fence all the way into the backyard. I remembered as a kid when Sarah and I would help Momma pull weeds on Sundays, our hands and backs hurting at the hours of work in the summer sun. When we finished, Momma would wipe the sweat from her brow and smile down at her two little helpers and shoot us a wink. Sarah and I knew that wink was what we waited for. It meant Momma would take us out for dinner and ice cream or milkshakes at a little diner just in town.

Right now, the driveway was full of cars. I pulled my Mazda into the driveway, parking it right behind a blue Volvo that I assumed was Sarah's and Andrew's new car; Chase's red Mitsubishi was parked right next to it. Momma's silver Toyota was in the garage, right next to Dad's white Chevy. It was strange seeing the garage door wide open, my parents were generally sticklers about keeping it shut. Always afraid some mischievous neighborhood kid would steal Dad's tools. I supposed seeing as it was Thanksgiving and they had been expecting all this company today that they'd leave it open. Except it was starting to rain, everything in the garage would be soaked if they didn't shut it.

_I'll tell them when I get inside._

I parked the car and flicked off the windshield wipers and the lights before I turned the car off. Sitting there for a moment, I took in the sight of the house. It looked sad and empty, but I figured it was just my guilty conscience. The rain was now steadily pitter-patting on the hood and roof of the car. Reaching into the backseat I grabbed the little black umbrella I always had with me. I pushed the door open and immediately opened the umbrella outside. It expanded quickly, and I only got hit by a few splashes of water as I got out of the car, pushing my purse up onto my arm higher as I did.

The car beeped as I locked it, the sound nearly startling me. Winding around the cars in the driveway, I made my way up to the front door. I took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. A minute might have flown by with only the sound of rain falling around me. I pressed the doorbell again and then knocked afterwards. Still nothing. My stomach twisted into a knot.

Opening the screen door, I pressed my ear to the front door. I didn't hear anything. No happy laughter or chattering voices. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed my parents' house phone.

It rang and rang and rang until it hit their voicemail. I hung up and tried my brother Chase's number. It kept ringing until the automated voice answered for him. The same happened with Sarah's phone.

For a moment I stood there taking everything in. Their cars were all here but the house seemed empty. No one was answering their phones. They wouldn't have gone anywhere on Thanksgiving, not without their cars. And someone would have had to answer their phone at some time.

I wiggled the front door knob only to find that it was locked. I wasn't sure if I felt that was a good sign amongst all the oddness. I made my way down the three steps away from the front door and rounded my way into the garage. Water from the rain was soaking up a few brooms in the corner leaning against the wall of the garage. Nothing seemed out of place other than the door being open.

I took the one step up by the garage door before hesitantly opening it up. It was unlocked.

My heart started racing in my chest as I closed my dripping umbrella and laid it against the kitchen wall. Unprepared food was all over the counters, the table wasn't even set. Momma's nice dinner dishes were still stacked on the middle of the table as if someone had just pulled them out of the cupboard. There still wasn't a single sound in the house.

"Momma?" I called out hesitantly. "Dad?"

There was no answer.

"Sarah? Chase?"

The house was eerily silent.

I turned around to the counter where the food was still sitting on the counter. It was then that I spotted the oven wasn't even on. The couple cans of Pepsi on the counters were room temperature and still partially full.

Panicked, I pulled my 9mm out of my purse, turning the safety off of the Beretta. I made my way through the kitchen slowly, the gun up and my finger near the trigger like I had been taught. I didn't want to accidentally shoot my family if they happened to be here.

The living room was just as empty, not even the TV was on where I would assume the guys would be gathered. With the darkening gray sky outside it was becoming harder to see since none of the lights were on in the house. I didn't want to draw attention to myself if someone or something was still here and had heard me when I came in, so I pulled a flashlight out of my purse and turned it on. With my back pressed to the wall, one hand holding a flashlight and the other holding my gun, I kept on.

The upstairs was just as empty. Same with the basement. No sign of a struggle anywhere.

After a half hour of searching the house, I gathered I was entirely alone there. I made my way back to the kitchen and turned on a light before I slunk down in a chair.

I didn't know whether I should wait for them or call the police. Or if this was a matter that I needed to handle myself.

Turning the safety back on, I placed the gun onto the table in front of me. I drummed my fingers onto the table, not sure what to do next.

_So much for a normal family reunion._

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted something that I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed earlier. A container of salt had been spilled over on the counter by the microwave. I got up and made my way over to the spilt contents and wondered if this was the work of Momma being startled by something, but what I found next to the salt told me otherwise. This wasn't spilled because Momma was cooking, this was spilled because Chase was going to use it for protection.

Right next to the spilled container of salt was the unmistakable powder of sulfur.


	2. Chapter 2

I flung my Beretta back into my purse and grabbed my umbrella by the door. I flipped off the light in the kitchen, glanced once more at the still room, and then opened the garage door, locking it behind me. I made my way through the garage towards the entrance, the black umbrella leaving a dripping trail of water behind me as I did. For good measure I peered into both of my parents' cars. Everything looked normal.

I didn't even bother with the umbrella as I pounded the garage door code into the panel on the side. Pressing 'enter' forcefully, my chest still tight with panic, the door slowly made its descent. I figured I should at least keep their house locked up. Maybe preserve the scene inside in case I came back to see if there was anything I'd missed.

Once I was satisfied there was nothing to be found in either of my siblings' cars, I got into mine and locked the doors out of habit. I tossed the wet umbrella into the backseat and started up the car, turning the heat up to help dry out my now soaked self.

There was only one person I knew I could go to for help. He would know how to help me and where to go from here.

I reversed out of the driveway in a rush, pausing in the street as I switched gears to glance at the house once more. When nothing happened and my family didn't jump out the front door laughing at a joke they just pulled on me, I slammed my foot on the gas and got onto the nearest interstate that would take me to where I needed to go. It would be another long drive to get me to South Dakota.

I tried putting the radio on to soothe my nerves, but it only made me more jumpy and on edge. I was constantly looking in the rearview mirror, not to see if someone was following me in another car, but if someone happened to appear in my backseat.

Every time I gassed up the Mazda I checked my phone. Still no calls or texts from anyone.

After eight hours of driving it was just about 10:30 and my eyelids were beginning to droop despite the huge cup of coffee I had stopped for about an hour and a half ago. I was just over halfway to my destination, but I knew I'd be no help to my family if I wound up dead or in a hospital because I'd gotten into an accident, so reluctantly I pulled into a Motel 6 that I spotted fifteen miles after I'd nearly swerved off the interstate.

I took the exit, slowing down on the ramp. My heart sank as I saw the speedometer drop. If only I could push on through the night, I'd be there in the early morning. Maybe he'd heard something and I could figure this all out in a matter of a day or so and have everyone safely back in Illinois.

Groggily I spotted the Motel 6 sign and pulled into the parking lot that was fuller than it would have been at any other time of the year. I parked my car as close to the door as I could before grabbing my purse and locking the car after I had gotten out. I was only planning to stay long enough for a few hours of sleep so I could get back on the road.

A man was in the lobby flipping through a magazine. He appeared bored as he glanced up at me. Neither of us seemed interested in small talk, so it didn't take long for me to get my room. I climbed the stairs up in the lobby and followed the signs on the wall as I looked for my room.

I stopped at 114 and stuck the key card into the door. It unlocked and I wasted no time collapsing onto the bed, keeping my purse nearby in case I had any nighttime visitors. Despite my evening's events, I fell asleep in no time, worn out from all the driving I had done today.

My phones alarm woke me up at 7 in the morning, the normally soothing ringtone irritated me this morning. I shut it off immediately and stretched before grabbing my purse and throwing it over my shoulder. Picking the key card up from the nightstand, I paused a moment and glanced over my shoulder towards the window that still had the curtain drawn. The early morning rays of light were trickling in despite the fabric trying to keep it out, but I had the strangest feeling that I was being watched.

I placed my hand on the gun in my purse, knowing it wouldn't do much against a demon, but it was better than nothing. Hesitantly I reached my hand out towards the curtain and slowly pulled it back. Light blinded my eyes for a moment but I saw nothing other than the parking lot below. My Mazda was sitting there just as I had left it. With brows furrowed I let the curtains fall back into place before I left my room.

Following the signs on the walls that lead me to the lobby, I wiped the sleep from my eyes and tried to ignore the bristling feeling on the back of my neck that gave me the feeling of being watched. I took the stairs two at a time and stopped at the counter. A young woman was sitting behind the counter now, a friendly smile on her face.

_Leave it to my luck I get the Chatty Cathy of all the Motel 6's in the country. _

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully.

"Yeah," I grumbled, dropping the key card onto the counter.

"How was your stay?" She asked me with a genuine inquisitive look.

_Someone enjoys their job too much._

I cleared my throat, not in the mood this morning for idle chatter. "Good."

The edges of her smile faltered a bit, but she only brightened up more a second later before turning to the computer and doing something on there for a minute before she turned back to me.

"Have a good day! And I hope you stay with us again sometime!"

I gave her a noncommittal grunt before turning on the heel of my knee length boots and heading out towards the parking lot. The chilly morning air made me shiver as I made my way to my car. I double checked that my backseat was empty before I got in and locked the doors once again out of habit. I started my car and pulled out of the parking lot. Before I made my way back onto the interstate I stopped up at a small gas station and filled up my car before going inside and getting some coffee for the last few hours drive I had ahead of me.

It was only a few minutes before I was back on the road finishing up the last stretch of driving. I normally hate talk radio, but right now it was the only thing I could put up with, so I kept it on as quietly humming background noise. I wasn't as jumpy today as I had been last night, and thankfully that feeling of being watched had disappeared the moment I had pulled out of the Motel 6, but I was still a little on edge.

Three hours had passed and thanks to my lead foot I had ended up shaving an hour off the drive. I felt myself relax a little when I saw the sign out front.

**Singer's Auto Salvage**.

I let out a sigh, the first exhale of any form of relief. Bobby would know what to do. He always did.


	3. Chapter 3

I was out of my car in no time, flinging my purse over my shoulder and tugging my jacket tighter around myself. It was cold here now that it was late November, but there wasn't any snow on the ground yet, or at least for the time being.

I knocked on the door five quick raps.

"Bobby!" I called.

There was no answer so I rapped on the door louder, my heart racing a little. He had to be here.

"Bobby! Are you in there?" I shouted out urgently.

I was just about to reach into my pocket to pull out my phone when I finally heard a rustling inside and a voice called out.

"Hang on, would ya?"

I easily could place it as Bobby's voice. He sounded tired, but I knew I hadn't just woke him up. It was after ten in the morning. He rarely ever slept in past eight.

The door opened to reveal the taller, gruff man standing there with a cup of coffee in his hand and a flask in the other.

"Emily?" he asked, surprised. "I wasn't expecting to see you for awhile. Thought you were over in Illinois with your folks?"

"Actually, Bobby, that's why I'm here. Can I come in and explain everything to you? It's cold outside," I told him, shivering a little as a cold breeze rustled my hair.

He opened the door and I stepped in through the devil's trap that was painted on the ceiling. Once he saw me pass that test he visibly eased up.

"You hungry? You look God awful," Bobby said as he eyed me up in concern.

I realized I hadn't even bothered to eat since yesterday at noon when I had stopped for a burger and fries at a Burger King on the way to my parents' house.

"Yeah actually. I'm starved."

I followed as he lead me into the small kitchen that was more familiar to me than my own parents' kitchen where I had spent so many meals as I grew up. He motioned for me to sit into a chair at the table before he turned around and started pulling things out of his fridge.

"Left over pasta okay?"

"Yeah, thanks."

He pulled out a plate and poured some on before putting it into the microwave and heating it up for me. Then he returned to the fridge and turned around with a beer in one hand and a can of Sprite in the other.

"Too early for me to be drinking Bobby, you know that," I told him as I accepted the Sprite he handed me instead.

"You never know," Bobby mumbled.

I cracked the can open before taking a long swig. It felt good to have something to drink other than coffee. It would feel even better having something homemade to eat, too. I had spent the last couple weeks living on fast food and coffee.

"So what's going on, kid?" Bobby asked, placing the plate of pasta in front of me and handing me a fork.

I watched him take a seat across the table from me, fork still in my hand.

"I went to my parents' house yesterday. First time I've been there in two years," I started, watching as Bobby nodded his head. He knew all that already. "But no one was there. Their cars were all parked out front, there was food left out unprepared and unfinished drinks laying around, but the house was empty. I tried calling my sister and Chase, but no one answered. I still haven't heard a thing." I paused, fighting the swell of emotions I hadn't realized I had been fighting back. "I found sulfur in the kitchen. That's it."

Bobby frowned deeply. "Nothing else?"

"There was a container of salt that was tipped over near the trace of sulfur I found. I'm assuming Chase tried to do something, but I think they had all been taken by surprise."

I paused, fighting the sting of tears in my eyes.

"I figured if anyone had heard something or knew what to do, it would be you, Bobby."

He stopped mid-sip of his spiked coffee, pausing to catch my hopeful gaze. He put the cup back on the table and shot me a sympathetic look.

"Well," he started, letting out a sigh, "I haven't heard anything, but let me go make a few calls. You just work on your food right now. We'll figure something out."

He got up and patted my shoulder reassuringly before heading out of the kitchen.

I stared at the plate of pasta before I began to dig into the food. I ate slowly, my appetite not really there, but my stomach was growling from hunger which urged me on to finish the plate. I downed the can of Sprite afterwards and cleaned up my mess before finding Bobby in his office. He was surrounded by a couple house phones, but he was currently on a cell phone, his right hand playing with a black pen. When he caught sight of me standing there he pointed for me to sit in one of the chairs across from the desk he was at.

I sat down, waiting as patiently as I could as he finished up his conversation.

"Alright, I appreciate it," Bobby said into the phone before hanging up.

I watched as he put the phone on the desk.

"So?" I asked him, any amount of patience I had dissipated.

"Well so far no one who really deals with demons has heard much," Bobby started to tell me, and I felt myself sink into the chair, "But I do have a couple hunters who might have heard whispers about something through the demon grapevine."

I perked up immediately in the chair.

"They aren't sure if it's something useful for you, but after I called now they're pretty convinced they can help. They have been chasing after this lead lately, apparently. And normally they would have called me for help," Bobby told me, muttering the last part more to himself than to me.

"Alright, so what did they tell you?" I prompted him.

"They're only a couple hours away, they said they'd be here within the hour," Bobby said carefully.

I caught the tone in which he spoke and narrowed my eyes at him.

"They're the only ones who've heard anything and can help you," he told me in their defense. "You have nothing else to go on right now. You can't really brush off their help."

While he had a point, that didn't mean I was any happier about it.

"So now what, we sit back and keep our pants on while they get their slow asses here? Couldn't they have just told you what they knew over the phone and saved me some time?" I growled, growing impatient.

"They won't be long," was all Bobby said before he picked up another phone that had started to ring.

Frustrated, I made my way out to Bobby's living room. I tried to seat myself on the couch and turned the news on, but not even three minutes later I was up pacing, constantly checking the time on my phone.

I hated working with the Winchester brothers.


	4. Chapter 4

It was just after noon before the sounds of the infamous Impala could be heard outside. I stopped mid-pace and glanced over at Bobby who was just getting up from his chair in the other room.

I followed behind him as he walked towards the front door and then outside. He had a big smile on his face as he pulled them into hugs. Leaning against the doorframe, I watched from a distance. For some reason I couldn't comprehend, Bobby loved those boys like they were his own sons.

Sam wasn't half bad, I'll admit that much, but his brother was another story. Cocky, womanizing, rude, and stubborn.

Once the greetings had all taken place, everyone turned their attention to me. I didn't bother to give them a greeting half as warm as Bobby's as the three made their way up to the front door where I was at.

"Boys, you remember Emily Riddick," Bobby said, his tone a little wavering as if he was ready for me and Dean to get into it like we had done many times before.

"Of course," Sam said, a soft and friendly smile on his face.

Dean didn't say anything.

"It's been a few years," Sam said as the group stopped right in front of me.

"Yeah," I agreed, glowering at Bobby.

"So, uh," Sam started awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck as he glanced between his silent brother and myself. "Bobby told us about your situation. Maybe we can go inside and talk?"

I didn't move right away, but reluctantly I let the group inside, giving Bobby one last unhappy look. He was right though, I needed their help and no one else had answers. As much as I didn't want to see them, I hoped they had something useful to tell me.

We made our way into the kitchen, Bobby grabbing drinks from the fridge while the three of us sat at the table. I made sure I picked a spot opposite the brothers. Bobby silently handed Sam and I bottles of water before giving Dean a bottle of beer, which he wasted no time cracking open and drinking. For some reason I just wanted to kick him.

Sam cleared his throat, catching my attention.

"Why don't you tell us what happened?" he asked in the tone I knew he used when he and his brother would interrogate the victims of supernatural attacks. I knew he wasn't aiming to, but it slightly offended me.

I went on to explain the story as if only Sam and Bobby were in the room. Dean didn't seem to mind, he kept quiet the whole time, which was unusual but I wasn't complaining, and kept drinking his beer.

When I had finished explaining the little information I had, I waited for someone to say something.

Sam sat scratching his head, his brows furrowed in thought as if trying to piece things together. When someone did speak up, I was surprised that it was Dean.

"Your family must have been kidnapped."

It wasn't meant to be so detached and unsympathetic as I had first taken it to be. I had opened and shut my mouth before I had a chance to say something sarcastic to him. Bobby was shooting me the you-better-behave look from across the kitchen table.

Grudgingly, in as friendly a voice as I could muster when speaking to him, even though I knew how childish I was being, I asked "And what makes you say that?"

For the first time since we'd sat at the table Dean looked up from his beer he had been twisting around in his left hand to look at me.

He just continued to look at me for a moment before answering.

"There were a few demons we had found in Indiana the other week. We had tracked them since Ohio. Got one of them to mention something about trying to find someone."

I waited for him to explain more but he didn't.

"And even though that could be _anyone_, you think it's my family?" I was annoyed now as I turned to Sam. "This is the lead I waited an hour for you two for? Demons were looking for someone?"

"Calm down for a second," Sam started, that puppy-dog consoling look on his face.

"Calm down? I just wasted an hour of my time on you two! And all you came here to tell me is a bunch of pointless garbage!" I shot, feeling like punching that sympathetic look right off his handsome face. "You could have said that to Bobby over the phone!"

Pushing the chair out from the table I stood up in a fury. I could feel my chest rising and falling with my anger. Suddenly, I felt a hand cover my left one that was balled in a fist still on the table. There was Dean's hand, to my utter surprise, gently placed on top of mine. I was so shocked that I felt all the anger fall right out of me at his touch.

"Sit down," Dean told me, his head gestured at the chair I had been seated in only moments before.

Any other time Dean Winchester would have told me to do something I would have told him where I would love to shove my foot, but something about his demeanor since he showed up had me sitting back in the chair, albeit a little reluctantly.

"You live in Illinois right? Just outside of Chicago? Sister named Sarah?" Dean questioned me.

My heart fell to my gut. Sarah. What did she have to do with anything?

"Yes?" I asked breathlessly.

"Well, for some reason, the demons we have been tailing were looking for her. Or rather, someone named Sarah."

That couldn't be right. Sarah wasn't a hunter. For as much as she knew, the only vampire that existed was Count Chocula. Why would demons be after her?

Sam snapped me out of my thoughts. "I thought only your brother and you hunted?"

"Yeah," I said, still feeling in a daze. "We are."

"So now the question is why they would want her." Dean stated matter-of-factly.

"Ever notice anything strange about her?" Bobby piped up.

I shook my head, my mind racing. Sarah was the most normal I could get to in my life. My parents knew about the supernatural, my Dad had a run in with a werewolf in his college years and my Momma came from a family of retired hunters. Chase had stumbled across my Gramps' hunting gear one summer when we were over and that's how he had learned everything, and when I had entertained the idea of a college education I had an encounter with the supernatural myself. But Sarah…as far as I was aware, she knew nothing.

"How do you know they took her?" I asked Dean suddenly, remembering he said my family had been kidnapped.

"Did you see signs of a fight, or a struggle? Any blood or bodies?" he answered.

I shook my head again.

"Then they took her. And probably your other family members."

"For what?"

Dean shrugged. "Beats me."

"I have to find them." I stated simply. And I had to. "Did those demons ever say where they were going when they found who they were looking for?"

"When have demons ever been that helpful?" Dean asked, part of his usual attitude coming back.

I glared at him from across the table as he sipped his beer.

"Wherever they took them, I know where to start looking," Dean added.

I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"The demons we hunted down were working for a lackey for Crowley. We need Crowley's lackey if we're going to put pieces together."


	5. Chapter 5

"Why don't you stop pacing?"

I stopped and turned to shoot Dean a glare.

"It's not helping find any leads and you're going to end up wearing a hole in Bobby's floor."

"Shut up," was all I could think of as a retort.

He didn't say anything to that, just glanced back down at a bunch of newspapers from today that Bobby had pulled up on a laptop. Sam was in the corner of the living room on his own laptop, completely oblivious to the room around him. I felt useless, but Bobby told me the three of them could look up leads of demon attacks without my help. Which basically meant I would get in the way because I was being an emotional female.

I sat down in Bobby's recliner and began chewing on my fingernails. It wasn't long before I was back up pacing again.

Dean let out an irritated sigh as he glanced back up from the laptop's screen in front of him and Bobby. He shot me the do-you-really-have-to-keep-doing-that look.

"Fine," I grumbled to the room and headed out to my Mazda. I opened the trunk and pulled out a duffle bag of clothes I always kept in there and brought it into the house, heading up the stairs and into the bathroom. I hadn't showered in a few days; I figured I had time for a quick one. Maybe when I finished they'd have found something.

Peeling my dirty clothes off of me, I reached into the shower and turned the water on, setting the temperature to warmer than normal. I glanced at my appearance in the mirror as I waited for the water to heat up.

Disheveled hair and bags under my eyes greeted me. My reflection looked a mess, no wonder Bobby had told me I looked awful. My skin looked unusually pale, probably from my usual poor nutrition and lack of sleep lately. When the mirror slowly started to fog up I remembered the shower was on and I jumped in.

The hot water relaxed my muscles, helping me loosen up a bit. At one point I almost fell asleep in the shower as I suddenly felt just how tired I was.

This hunting job was not what I had always thought it would be. Normally Chase and I would go on hunts together, but we had split up months back when he and I had had an argument. Since then we had worked things out, but we were still working our own cases. I hadn't seen him in over a month.

It was such a lonely career path. Rewarding in its own way, true, but lonely nevertheless. And dangerous. And probably the only job with the worst hours. No weekends off, no holidays off, and you could work a case more than eight hours a day. Plus, you don't get paid. Technically I have become quite the criminal thanks to Bobby's training.

The water started getting cold eventually; my cue to get out of the shower. I dried off slowly before throwing on something simple. Not like I was trying to impress anyone.

Sure, the Winchester brothers are attractive. And we're close in ages. Plus, there's the bonus of the same lifestyle. And like I've said before, Sam really isn't that bad, but he comes as a package deal—he comes with Dean. No thanks. I wouldn't risk flirting with him if it meant having to spend more time than I want to with that brother of his.

Last time I saw Dean was a couple years back when the three of us ended up working the same werewolf case. Stubborn as we are, Dean and I, neither of us would back down from making sure the job got done. Which meant I put up with a lot of his snide comments, arguments with his brother, womanizing retorts (which he claimed bothered me because, after we first met, he never tried to pick me up again) and his obsession with food. Pie, in particular. And he was always drinking a beer or four.

Back when I first met the guy, he left an impression on me. I watched him take down a demon like he was taking out the garbage. Such a simple, smooth motion of his arm and he had the thing down and dead. He took charge of the room and just had this presence about him. The Winchester good looks didn't hurt either.

But then after the fact, when Chase and I really got to meet him at some diner just a town over from there, his true colors shown through. Any and all interest in him was squashed the moment he made a comment about my choice of shirt while hunting, his eyes oogling my breasts openly, and then managed to get our waitress' number two minutes later. He was a pig as far as I was concerned.

Not even bothering with doing more than running a comb through my hair, I headed back down to the living room where no one looked like they had moved in the last half hour.

Bobby glanced up at me. "Feel better?" he asked sincerely.

I nodded quietly.

"I might have found something," Sam spoke up, catching my immediate attention. He shot me a sheepish smile before he added on, "it's just signs of demonic possession, more than likely a very lowly demon, but it might lead us where we need to go."

I held back the inward groan. How long did I have before my family was no more? Would Chase be able to save them?

Settling onto the couch next to Dean, the only available place to sit on that couch, I glanced at the laptop the two men had been staring at for hours. It was opened on a post from a newspaper in Montana.

"This the one?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's not too far from here. We could make it in a few hours."

Dean and I caught each other's eyes, but it wasn't some mushy moment. It was more calculating, seeing if the other was up to getting into another car and going right this second.

A beep came from the other room, followed by more beeps. I jumped before I realized it was the oven. Dean smirked briefly before shutting the laptop.

"Foods done," Bobby announced. When he noticed my confused look, he said, "I threw it in while you were showering. Figured you and the boys could use some good food. I know I could."

No one had to tell the guys twice before they were in the kitchen. Dean was doling out heaping amounts onto a plate, but Bobby and Sam continued to usher me to eat something. I figured we weren't going anywhere, much to my annoyance, so I made a plate and ate it slowly, sitting across from Dean since I couldn't get any farther away. He didn't seem to notice anything other than his food and his new bottle of beer.

When dinner was finished, Bobby reassured us that he would clean up.

"Get on the road, figure out what's going on. Keep me informed too. I'll let you know if I hear anything," Bobby told us as we all stood awkwardly in the kitchen.

I glanced at the brothers, wishing I had just said I'd go alone. I knew I needed their help though. I didn't even have one of those cool demon blades they had.

"We should just go together, it'd be easier," Sam suggested as we stood outside Bobby's house.

I readjusted the strap on my shoulder and eyed the Impala. I had always secretly wanted to ride in that car, but I wasn't about to admit it.

Dean shot his brother a look.

"She can't stand being around me for a couple hours and you want to stick her in the Impala with us?"

I was shocked at how forward he was with that comment before I recovered and remembered this was Dean Winchester.

"I'd rather take my car," I agreed.

Sam shook his head. "No, it'll waste more time and gas. We go together, it's more efficient. And since Dean won't leave his car behind," Sam said, to which Dean gave a grunt of agreement, "it looks like you're riding with us." He pointed to my bag on my shoulder. "I can put that in the trunk with our other stuff. Got everything in here or do you need to throw something else in the trunk?"

"I have a smaller duffle of a few…odds and ends," I said, thinking about my bag full of holy water, guns, salt and salt rounds. Among other things.

"Of course, she's a woman."

I decided to ignore Dean's chide when I saw the look on Sam's face. At least someone was partially on my side.

I didn't waste time opening my trunk and grabbing my other duffle before locking the car again. Sam didn't even waste time asking before taking the bag out of my hand and putting it in the trunk of the Impala. I just stood there open-mouthed before I muttered out, "I could have done that."

Sam just smiled awkwardly.

"Stop talking and get in the car already," Dean said impatiently.

Thinking better of saying something rude since I was about to be stuck with him for a long ride, I just climbed into the back of the car quietly. Sam took shotgun and Dean plopped himself into the driver's seat.

I shut my eyes, hoping that maybe I could get a little sleep on the way. Dean shattered my hopes though when he turned on the car and blasted the stereo to some old rock music. My eyes shot open and met his in the rearview mirror.

He was smirking at me. "I hope this isn't too loud for you."

Sam glanced at the map in his lap, making me wonder why they didn't have a GPS. I didn't care enough to ask, though.

"Looks like it's about a five hour trip," he told us.

"Oh, goody," I said under my breath, leaning back in my seat and staring out the window.

I ignored the bristling feeling that I was being watched again, assuming Dean was just shooting me another smarmy look in the rearview mirror.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the review on my last chapter, glad you liked it!**

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Apparently I wasn't the only one with a lead foot. The drive took us just over four hours to reach a little town just outside of Hammond, Montana. To my surprise, Dean even turned his music down to the point where you could barely hear it when he caught me trying to fall asleep in the backseat.

We were just now pulling into a little motel and the parking lot looked vacant. To me that meant this place had to be terrible; images of dirty sheets and moldy showers came to mind. Not that I stayed in five star hotels when I was on the road, but I at least had some concern about where I slept. Just looking at the lobby through the window had my skin crawling.

"Really?" I muttered from the backseat.

"We won't be here long," Dean said, brushing off my distaste of the place. "We're really only here to change into our suits and get some info around town before busting down the demon's door."

He made a good point, we had to be sure this person really was possessed before we just started torturing them under the assumption. I followed the brothers into the building and was met with a terrible odor. It smelled musty and dirty—which was not all it smelled like either. The dust on the picture frames on the walls had me wondering just how terrible the rooms would be.

Dean had talked to the guy behind the desk and gotten us a room. One room with two beds, "Just in case" Dean had said.

"If we end up staying here I'll need a shower in gasoline and matches to burn off a few layers of skin before I feel clean again," I told the two as I followed them down a darkened hallway. A few of the lights had apparently burnt out.

Sam only mumbled a hardly coherent "sorry" while Dean seemed amused at my comment.

"If I had known that, I'd have splurged more on the hotel so we could save money on all the gasoline and matches we'll have to buy you," he shot back, a snide smirk on his face.

"What a gentleman," I said sarcastically with a roll of my eyes.

He only chuckled to himself in response as he worked on opening the door to our room. Eventually he managed to get it open, the door squealing eerily as he did.

"Welcome to the honeymoon suite," Dean said, throwing his arms up in the air as if he'd just opened the door to paradise.

I pushed past him, examining the carpet to see if it was clean enough to even set my duffle on the ground. "Honeymoon suites don't have two queen sized beds."

The grin on his face faltered and he glanced at his brother, clearly in hopes that someone found him funny. Sam just shrugged and tossed his bag on one of the beds before sitting down on it. I scrunched up my nose in distaste at how comfortable he had made himself. It wouldn't surprise me if bedbugs were crawling on him now. The thought made me involuntarily scratch my arm.

Dean tossed his bag down on the other bed before digging in and pulling out some fancy looking suit. Sam followed after him, pulling out a suit himself. I couldn't resist the laugh I emitted when I saw how long the slacks he had pulled out were. It was like watching a magician pulling scarves from his sleeves; the pants just kept coming out of the bag. Dean glanced from me to his brother then back to me, an amused smile on his face.

"Sasquatch," Dean stated simply, as if that explained everything, pointing a thumb at his brother.

Sam grumbled something under his breath without even looking up. He must be used to the jokes.

"Why don't you go in the bathroom so we can get changed?" Sam suggested to me.

I took a few steps towards the bathroom and peeked my head inside. There was something yellow on the wall and a dead cricket on the floor by the shower. At least, I hoped it was dead. The thing was pretty big. I shuddered.

Pulling my head back out of the bathroom I glanced back at the brothers. Both of them had already removed their shirts, which I hadn't expected, and for a moment I think it was apparent that I was staring. Because I was definitely staring.

Clearing my throat quickly I told them, "I'm not going in there, it's gross."

"You just want to see the show," Dean teased from across the room.

Feeling myself blush, I cleared my throat again and sat myself down on a little couch in the room, my back to the brothers. No one said anything until they were done changing. When I looked over at them I couldn't believe how good the two looked all dressed up.

"I'm going to have to shove you two out of the room for me to change," I said, eyeing Dean when I added, "I don't trust _someone_ not to peek."

"I'm flattered, really," Dean said sarcastically, "But that won't be necessary. You're not going anywhere."

My mouth fell open in disbelief. "What?"

"We think it's better if you remain here…" Sam spoke up, that sheepish look on his face.

"So I don't get in the way?" I shot back entirely offended. "I can handle myself!"

Sam shook his head. "No, but if they took your entire family, who knows if they may want you? It's better if we can make it seem as if just Dean and I are the only ones involved here."

I groaned aloud. This was stupid.

"So I'm just supposed to sit back this entire time and do nothing?"

"You can look for leads?" Sam offered, pulling his laptop out of his duffle bag and handing it to me. "Maybe see if you can figure out what Crowley would want your family for?"

I opened my mouth to speak but Dean cut me off getting right to the point.

"You're not coming."

My mouth shut and I glared at him.

"Let's get going," Dean said turning to his brother.

The two double checked they had their badges and the necessary weapons before heading towards the door. Sam walked out first, followed by his brother. Before Dean had completely left the room, he turned to me and said "Stay" as if talking to a golden retriever.

If this was any other situation I'd have wanted to slash one of the Impala's tires on him.

"I am not a dog," I grumbled to myself.

I set Sam's laptop on the little coffee table in front of me before lying back on the couch and shutting my eyes. I tried my hardest to think about what Crowley, the king of Hell as I was told, would want with my family.

Sure, Chase was a hunter. But neither him nor I ever really hunted demons. We generally made a point to stay away from those gigs, people like the Winchesters were better suited for it.

My Dad's only run in with the supernatural was in college with a werewolf. And my Momma never was a hunter, or so she'd told me. Maybe she hadn't told the whole truth to Chase and I. It was possible seeing as Sarah didn't even know ghosts really were real.

Sarah. Why would demons be looking for her specifically? She was normal. College graduate, married to Andrew for almost three years now. She was on maternity leave from the University she worked at Chase had told me. After years of trying she'd finally gotten pregnant.

Could that have something to do with it? Was it something to do with the baby? Maybe she made a deal with a crossroads demon to be able to have a kid?

No. Even if Sarah knew about all this sort of…stuff, she wouldn't be making deals with demons. Right?

The hair on the back of my neck bristled and my eyes jolted wide open. There it was, that feeling again. Like someone was watching me.

I looked around the room from my position on the couch. I didn't see anyone. That door squealed horribly, if someone had snuck in I'd for sure have heard them.

Shaking my head, assuming it was just my imagination, I laid back on the couch and shut my eyes. The hair on my arm began to raise, goosebumps decorating the pale skin there. The feeling of being watched was still present.

My eyes shot open again and landed right over the back of the couch. I stared at the spot for a minute, decided I was losing my mind, and was about to shut my eyes until a figure appeared there out of thin air.

I jumped straight up into the air and fell off the couch, startled at the sudden presence. My heart was racing, pounding in my chest.

I had never seen this man before, but if he could appear out of midair he must be powerful.

"Crowley?"


	7. Chapter 7

His brown eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me, thoroughly confused.

"Crowley?" he repeated, his voice inquisitive.

Now it was my turn to be the one sitting there frowning in confusion.

"You're not Crowley?" I asked him, eyeing up and down his rustled clothing and mussed hair.

I would have figured the King of Hell would at least take care of his appearance, so maybe this wasn't Crowley.

"No, I am not," the man responded in a monotone voice. "My name is Castiel."

That name sounded familiar and I sat racking my brain for an answer. Bobby had told me that name once, a long time ago. Back when he used to talk to me about the Winchester brothers before he learned just how annoyed I got at hearing their name.

"You're Sam and Dean's…friend," I said, not sure what his relationship to the brothers was exactly. "You're an angel."

He nodded in response.

"Well, they aren't here," I said awkwardly after a minute.

"I didn't come here for them," he told me simply.

He was standing there stiffly, in a way that would be uncomfortable if he was just a man. His tie was crooked and the trench coat he had on was wrinkled as all get out. A lot of his brown hair was sticking up in different places, like he had just woken up, but I was pretty sure an angel would have no use for sleeping.

"Then what did you come here for?" I prompted him.

"You."

I sat on the couch now just as stiffly as he was standing. My whole body felt like it had frozen up.

"Me? Why me?"

"I can't tell you that."

My heart leapt. "Do you have my family? Do you know where they are?"

The corner of his mouth twitched briefly. "No."

"Then what do you want with me?"

"I can't tell you that," he repeated stiffly.

I stared at him before asking, "Are you taking me somewhere? Because I'm not going with you."

"I am not taking you anywhere."

I chewed on my lip, eyeing him suspiciously. I imagined that being an angel, and a "friend" of the Winchesters, he must be safe to be around.

"I suppose if I ask why you came here you're just going to continue to respond like a broken record, right?"

His brows furrowed again. "I've heard that before. Is that some human saying?"

I let out a long, frustrated sigh. "I really don't know _how_ Dean would put up with you."

"Dean and I are great friends," the angel said enthusiastically, taking me by surprise at his first actual show of emotion.

"Yeah? I feel sorry for you then."

"You don't like him." It wasn't a question.

"No, I don't. I don't see how anyone could. I mean Sam doesn't have a choice, he's his brother, but an angel? Why would an angel of God like _Dean Winchester_?"

Castiel took a few steps closer to me, his head cocked to the side like a dog. "I thought all women liked Dean?"

I wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was an angel, or the sincere question he just asked me, or a combination of the two, but I burst out laughing. I was laughing so hard tears were running down my face. Every time I tried to stop laughing I'd look up at the angel's even further confused expression and burst into another fit of laughter.

"Are you serious?" I finally managed.

"Yes. He told me that once. Years ago."

I wiped a hand over my eyes, wiping the tears off my face. My sides were in pain from laughing so hard. It had been a long time since I'd laughed like that.

"And you believed him?"

"Yes?" Castiel responded, still sounding puzzled.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Not every woman on this planet is quite taken with Mr. Dean Winchester, let me assure you of that."

"Why not?" Castiel asked curiously.

"Because he's rude and he's a pig."

"He has his moments, but he's only human. No living thing was made to be perfect."

I frowned. "I didn't realize I signed up for bible camp."

Castiel looked around the room before looking back at me. Apparently he chose to ignore my snide comment, probably because he was used to Dean talking like that, before he said, "You do not know Dean very well. He's grown over the years."

I shook the image of him standing shirtless only an hour or so before from my mind.

"Good for him," I mumbled. "You just going to stand there?"

Castiel walked over to the front of the couch I was on and I moved my feet to make room for him to sit. He sat there stiff as he had been standing across the room from me.

"Are you always so weird?" I asked him.

"What do you mean?" He asked, turning to look at me.

"You're just…" I started, not sure how to explain it so I gestured with my hands at him, "there. It's making me uncomfortable."

"Sorry," he apologized sincerely.

"So if you aren't going to tell me why you're here or what you want, are you just going to sit there quietly?"

"If you want me to," he answered.

"What if I wanted you to tell me why you're here?" I asked him, but the moment he opened his mouth I held up a hand to quiet him. "You can't tell me that, I get it." I chewed my lip again, eyeing him. "How long are you going to be here then? Before you just poof and disappear?"

"Not until the Winchesters return."

"Are you saying you're babysitting me?" I asked, appalled at the idea.

He fidgeted on the couch a little. "I am making sure you're safe, yes."

"So this is about my family. It has to be, why else would you show up out of nowhere when you don't know me?"

He frowned again and shook his head. "I'm only here to make sure you are safe while the Winchesters are gone. They are searching into something bigger than they realize. I thought they would like to make sure you are still safe while they are gone."

I groaned loudly. "So you mean they asked you to baby-sit me? Even worse."

"No, they don't know I'm here," Castiel told me. "But they should be back soon."

"Joy."

Flipping open Sam's laptop, I figured I could search the local newspaper back home and see if there was any news about my family. There wasn't anything else I could do.

Once it loaded, I smiled when I saw the background of his laptop. It was a bunch of male models half naked. I grinned, assuming this was the work of Sam's brother.

"They must be cold," Castiel said, observing the background. "They hardly have any clothing on."

I shot the angel a look, muttered an awkward "Sure", and then opened up the internet browser on his laptop. I went straight to the local newspaper's website and was surprised to see nothing. They probably wouldn't notice anything strange for a couple more days. Only I was aware that an entire family had just up and disappeared.

Frustrated, I closed the internet window and waited for his laptop to turn off. Just as I was shutting the laptop, the door to the motel room squeaked as it opened, causing me to jump in shock. Castiel remained as calm and unmoving as he had been.

"Cas?" Sam questioned when he came into the room, Dean following behind him.

Dean rolled his eyes when he spotted who was beside me on the couch. "What're you doing here angel boy? Been calling you for days and _now_ you decide to show up?"

My stomach growled the moment I spotted the fast food bags in their hands. I hoped they were nice enough to grab me something.

"And for her no less," Dean added, eyeing me suspiciously. "You don't even know her."

"Someone sounds jealous," I teased.

He rolled his eyes at me before digging into a bag of food.

"I ordered you a burger and fries," Sam told me, bringing a bag of food over to me.

I took it hungrily, my stomach growling again.

"Got you a Coke too, hope you don't mind," Sam added, bringing that over to me, too.

"If you don't like it," Dean mumbled through a mouthful of food, "I don't want to hear it."

I shot him a look before taking the drink from Sam. "Actually, it's what I would have ordered. Thanks."

Sam shot me a smile before going back to the bed and digging into his own bag of food.

"So why are you here, Cas? You failed to answer that," Dean questioned him before taking another large bite of his greasy burger.

"Good luck getting him to tell you," I said before throwing a fry into my mouth.

I didn't realize I had been so hungry; before Castiel gave him the same answer he'd been giving me, I tore into my own burger.

"What do you mean you can't tell us?" Dean shot, setting his second burger down, halfway unwrapped, but not entirely forgotten.

"I just can't explain right now. You'll have to trust me," Castiel said, trying to reassure him.

"That's a new one," I muttered at Castiel.

Taking a bite of my burger, I was suddenly distracted by my phone vibrating on the coffee table. I paused to pick it up, curious as to who would be sending me a text.

I didn't recognize the number, but without wasting a second I opened the text.

**Stay safe**

That was all the text said. I glanced over the number again. I didn't recognize it as one of Chase's other cell phones.

"What?" Sam asked, noticing the look on my face.

"I…just got a text. But I don't know this number. All it says is 'stay safe'. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I have to go," Castiel said abruptly.

In a moment he was gone with only the brief sound of a swish of wings the only proof he'd been sitting beside me a moment ago.

"Something isn't right," Dean said, reaching for the demon knife on the bed next to him.

"I really hope that doesn't mean you're about to use that," I said, pointing at the knife in his hand.

"You and me both," Dean agreed.


	8. Chapter 8

**It might be a few days before I update, I'll be stuck moving from plane to plane until I get back home tomorrow night so I might not update this weekend. In the meantime, I thought I'd try to crank out another chapter for those of you waiting. Thanks for the reviews and I'll try to update as soon as I can!**

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"Maybe you should try calling the number?" Sam suggested, looking a little on edge himself.

I pulled the number that had texted me up on the screen and hit the call button and waited while it rang. I must have waited almost a minute before it went straight to the automated voicemail. I hung up in frustration.

"No one answered," I told them.

"Why did Cas up and leave so quick?" Dean wondered aloud.

"He does that a lot, Dean," Sam pointed out.

Dean shook his head abruptly. "There was something strange about his whole visit to begin with. He shows up to keep Emily safe when he doesn't even know her and we never asked him to? What's with that?"

Sam shrugged at his brother. "Maybe he's been keeping an eye out on us? He's done that before."

"He did tell me that you two were looking into something bigger than you realized," I told the two, recalling what Castiel had told me earlier. "And he was very secretive about why he was here."

"But that's not entirely uncommon for him to be like that," Sam said but took one look at his brother before changing his mind. "Okay, so he was acting strange."

My phone began vibrating in my hand again, causing me to jump. Both brothers took a couple steps towards me as I opened my phone.

"Another text," I told them, opening the message up to read it.

"What's it say?" Dean asked impatiently.

I felt my stomach in my throat as I read the second short text from the mystery number.

"It just says 'They're coming.'"

I glanced up at the two, positive we were all three wearing matching expressions of confusion.

"Sam, devil's trap," Dean commanded his brother.

Sam didn't hesitate, he immediately pulled something that looked like chalk out of a duffle bag on one of the beds and began drawing a devil's trap by the door of the motel room.

"You think its demons?" I asked Dean.

"Who else would be after you?"

"Right. Kidnapped my whole family, should've guessed," I said a little shakily.

"You alright?" he asked me in a concerned voice.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to regain my composure. Truth was, I hadn't ever really faced demons before. I'd only ever encountered them a handful of times, usually when I was with Bobby and Chase. Only once, when I'd first met the Winchester brothers, had I had a run in with demons with them.

"Yeah," I said before letting out a big exhale from the deep breath I had taken. "Yeah, I'm fine. You guys have that cool demon blade thing, we'll be fine."

Dean eyed me curiously for a moment before he started helping his brother finish the devil's trap. I bent down and began digging around in my duffle bag that was on the floor. After a moment I found my flask of holy water and pulled it out, clutching it in a death grip.

"Should I salt the window?" I called out to the pair.

The lights in the motel room began to flicker suddenly.

Dean glanced up, wiping the chalk off of his hands onto the front of his jeans before pulling the demon blade from out of his jacket pocket.

"I'm pretty sure that's not because the place forgot to pay the electricity bills. We don't have time," he answered.

Biting my lip, I glanced around the room. There really only was one window in the room besides the door. And Sam had put the devil's trap in front of it, so if they came in through the window they had no way of cornering us.

"Hey," Dean said, catching my attention as both him and Sam crossed the room to where I was, "we'll be fine. Just stick close to us and if anything goes wrong, stick 'em with the pointy end," he told me, gesturing with the demon blade.

I let out a halfhearted chuckle.

A loud crash filled the room as the door burst open. A slim brunette stood in the center of the devil's trap, her black eyes fixed on the symbol.

"Cute," she cooed before turning her attention to the three of us. "Should've figured you'd be prepared."

A deep chuckle erupted from behind me and I jumped, letting out a startled yelp.

"Not that prepared. Only one trap? I feel so left out."

The male demon was smiling, his head tilted to the side and his eyes just as black as the woman's.

"I've got something better for you," Dean growled at the man.

He rushed forward with the knife out, ready to stab the demon straight in the heart, but with a wave of his hand Dean went crashing into Sam, both propelled by the force into the wall. They fell to the ground in a heap halfway across the room.

The demon turned his attention to me now, his smile still intact.

"I'm only here for you, sweetheart," he purred.

"I'm not going with you," I shot, opening the flask in my right hand and tossing it on him.

Screaming in pain, the demon took a few steps back, clutching his face that was now burning from the holy water. He let out an inhuman growl as I raced towards the brothers who were just now regaining their footing.

"Stop fooling around and just kill the other two already, Isaac!" the demon in the trap shouted.

"You alright?" I asked the brothers.

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"Because you're doing much to help!" the demon, Isaac, shot back. His face had stopped burning from the water now, which only seemed to have pissed him off. "Why don't you boys just give her up? You don't have to die for this girl."

"Sorry, but we don't negotiate with monsters," Dean spat before rushing forward and stabbing the demon in the arm.

The demon lit up before the body he had possessed dropped to the ground.

The female demon laughed from her place by the door.

"Bravo," she said as she clapped her hands together briefly. "Congratulations. You've killed only one of the many demons that are after your friend. Why not give her up and save yourselves the effort? Because we won't stop until we have her."

"Why? Why do you want me?" I asked, unable to stop myself.

Her black eyes fixed on me and for a moment she just stared, trying to intimidate me. Thing is, when you're staring at something with pitch black eyes that shouldn't be there, it is quite intimidating.

"Because Crowley wants to collect your whole family. And you happen to be the last piece of the puzzle, so to speak."

"But what does he want from us?" I tried again.

She tsk'd at me. "Now, I can't really tell you that can I? Even if I knew, I'm not that dumb."

"Then you're useless," Dean said before thrusting the knife straight through her chest.

The body dropped to the ground with a thump before it disappeared. I didn't even want to ask the two what happened to the hosts of demons when they were killed with that knife.

"We have to go," Dean ordered, quickly packing up his duffle bag before slinging the strap over his shoulder.

I didn't hesitate before closing up my flask, zipping up my bag, and tossing the strap over my shoulder. The three of us were in the lobby, Dean checking out in record time. I don't think the guy behind the counter had a chance to even say two words before we were out the door and piling into the Impala, Sam shoving the duffle bags into the trunk before slamming it shut and taking shotgun.

We were tearing out of the parking lot moments later, Dean obviously trying to put as much space between us and that motel.

"Well, so much for us tracking them. Clearly they're tracking you," Dean said, eyeing me through the rearview mirror.

"So now what, we run from them?" I asked.

"For now," Dean answered. "We need a plan, but we need to get off their radar first."

"Where are we going?"

"The only place safe to go when you're being chased by demons," Dean told me.

Sam glanced over his shoulder at me in the backseat and took in my confused expression. "Bobby's."

"We need to figure out why they're after you and your family. And who the hell is texting you. And maybe we can get a hold of Cas and figure out what he's up to," Dean said, his foot pressing harder on the accelerator.

"What about me?"

I jumped at the sight of the angel suddenly appearing in the backseat beside me, once again appearing right out of thin air.

"Damn it, Cas!" Dean shot, trying to stay focused on the road since Castiel's sudden appearance had thrown the car briefly off the stretch of pavement.

"I have much to explain," Castiel said in his monotone voice.

"You think?" Dean growled at him.

"Start talking," I demanded immediately.

"Not here. It isn't safe," Castiel told me. "We will speak at Bobby's."

And just as fast as he had appeared, he was gone again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright, I couldn't sleep so...here's a long chapter since I might not update for a couple days! Hope you're getting hooked! **

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"What're you idjiots doin' back already? I thought you were out looking for info on Emily's family?"

I shut the Impala's door and saw Bobby standing with one hand holding the screen door open and the other hanging onto a blue coffee mug, which more than likely held more than just coffee.

"Apparently they're looking for her," Sam told Bobby as he opened up the car's trunk and began unloading the duffle bags.

"We needed some place safe to go to think up a plan of action," Dean added on as he rounded the back of his car to help his brother unpack. "No place safer from demons than your house."

Bobby's face looked grim. "So you decide to bring Hell's army to my doorstep? And you couldn't even call first?"

Dean slammed the trunk and grinned at Bobby. "Wouldn't be the first time, would it?"

I shouldered my two bags I had, dismissing Dean's strange offer to help me carry them inside. He made a comment that I'd probably hurt myself under the weight when he saw the look of shock on my face at his kind offer.

"I only have three bedrooms," Bobby said as we all lugged our gear into his house. "And I'm not sharing my bed with any of you fools."

"I'll take the couch," I offered, heading to the living room and tossing my bags in front of the larger sofa.

Sam opened his mouth to say something but his brother spoke up first.

"I'll take the couch, go grab one of the bedrooms before Sasquatch takes them both."

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother, but then seemed to realize what had just happened.

Throwing an arm on my hip I stared Dean down, eyeing him suspiciously.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"You just gave up a bed for me?" I asked in disbelief.

He only shrugged nonchalantly in response. "So? You've had a rough few days. Least I can do is let you sleep in a real bed."

I exchanged looks with Bobby across the room.

"You alright, boy?" Bobby asked him. "Do I need to get the holy water?"

"Funny." Dean's mouth drew into a straight line; clearly he wasn't amused anymore. "I just drove about ten hours. Now, if you aren't going to take the bed, I will."

I threw the duffle bags' straps over my shoulders and began climbing up the stairs.

"Nope, bed's fine with me!" I called down over my shoulder as I neared the top of the staircase.

Bobby and Sam were chuckling below, and I thought I heard Dean say something under his breath.

"What about Cas?" I heard Sam call out.

I dropped my bags into the first empty room and headed back to the top of the stairs to hear the conversation.

"When does he ever show up when you want him to?" Dean asked his brother.

"We could at least try. He did say he would tell us what was going on. Maybe what he says could help us figure out what to do next," Sam offered.

"I'm with Sam. How do we get him to show up?" I asked as I descended the stairs.

Dean dragged a hand over his face. He looked exhausted, something I hadn't noticed until just now. His eyes were bloodshot too. If only he'd let his brother drive back to Bobby's, maybe he'd have gotten a little sleep. Suddenly, I found myself feeling bad for him, and a little grateful for his help for once.

I snapped myself back to reality before I could think any more along that train of thought.

"Fine, I'll try," Dean said before he plopped down on the sofa and shut his eyes.

For a minute he didn't say anything and I wondered if he'd fallen asleep there. I glanced over at Bobby and Sam but they didn't seem too concerned.

"If you can hear me Cas," Dean finally spoke, breaking the silence, "get your angel butt down here. You have some explaining to do."

He opened one eye and peeked around the room. It was still only filled with the four of us. Dean shut his eye again.

"Come on, Cas. We could use your help. For once be useful and—"

Dean was cut off by the sound of wings. I felt a breeze hit me in the face lightly and then there was Cas sitting on the couch, practically right on top of Dean. He jumped back away from the angel and the close contact immediately, as if he'd just been burned.

"Damn it, Cas, personal space!"

The angel just looked at him curiously. "You called?"

"Yeah, you said you had information on Emily's family?" Dean said, still trying to put more space between the two of them.

Castiel turned his attention to me. "I do. I know why Crowley took your family."

"Which is?" I prompted.

"He found an interesting tablet recently. Us angels call them Words of God. There are countless tablets like these scattered around the Earth, all hard to find. They hold some of God's secrets, valuable information."

"What does this have to do with anything?" I asked. "Where does my family come in?"

"He needs someone to decipher what the tablet says."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Why doesn't he just get a translator then? Or kidnap an angel? Why my family? Chase is the only one who took a second language in high school, and that was Spanish. Which he barely remembers."

The angel began shaking his head. "It's not like that. Only prophets of God can read these tablets. It's just ingrained in their being when they become a prophet. It isn't learned. There's no way to teach anyone else to read it."

I took a seat on a chair nearby, trying to absorb the information.

"Alright, so then why does he need my family?"

"He became aware that your sister is a prophet," the angel told me, staring me hard in the eyes. It was a little uncomfortable.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Dean said shifting on the sofa. "Isn't she supposed to be protected by an archangel if she's a prophet? How does a couple of demons just kidnap a prophet?"

Castiel's lip twitched slightly. He fidgeted a little on the sofa.

"I'm not sure, but she was kidnapped."

Dean frowned. "So Crowley was able to outsmart an archangel? Well, we're screwed. You angels won't be any help here I suppose?"

"We are trying to track them down, but it isn't easy," Castiel responded.

"If he wanted my sister because she's some…prophet, or whatever, then why did he take my whole family? And why is he after me?"

Castiel stared at me for awhile. It almost looked like he was thinking of what to say before he said it.

"Possibly for leverage. He wants your sister to read the tablet, he might need a way to persuade her," the angel finally said, his eyes now averted to the floor.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He seemed awfully fidgety for someone being honest.

"If that's true, then why is he after me?"

"Because you're a hunter, and you teamed up with the Winchesters, who have been known to ruin his plans," Castiel answered almost immediately.

"And you're getting involved because your angel pals want the tablet back?" Dean asked him.

"Yes. I am trying to help you. Crowley can't have the Word of God read by the prophet. Whatever he is after cannot be good," Castiel answered.

Dean leaned back against the sofa letting out a loud exhale and slapping the palms of his hands against his thighs.

"So much for an easy holiday season," he grumbled.

"You don't have to help," I told him.

He looked at me in disbelief. "What, and you're supposed to fight off the King of Hell on your own? With just holy water and some salt? Maybe an exorcism and a devil's trap here or there? It's not that easy. It never is."

I frowned but decided to turn my attention back to Castiel. I had one more thing that was bothering me.

"Do you know who's been texting me then?"

The angel's brows furrowed in confusion or thought, I couldn't tell. "No," he said after a moment.

"So if it's not some angel with a new iPhone then who?" Dean wondered aloud. "Could it be your brother? Maybe he has a phone you don't know about?"

"Maybe," I said, deep in thought. "That seems the most logical person. Who else would be warning me?"

"You're getting mystery texts?" Bobby asked in that concerned paternal way. "I wouldn't trust those too much, you never really know who it is. Could be your brother, could be someone or something else."

"Ever the paranoid hunter," Dean chided.

"I'm just not dumb," Bobby retorted.

"I've told you all I can for now," Castiel cut in. "I'll let you know more when I can."

He disappeared from the sofa with a gust of wind and ruffle of wings again.

"I don't know how you can get used to that," I mumbled, eyeing the spot that he had just been occupying.

"You don't," Sam said.

"Well, I think it's bedtime," Dean said, sprawling out on the sofa and kicking off his shoes. "We'll figure out more in the morning."

* * *

I couldn't sleep, my mind kept racing back to my family and what Crowley might be doing to them right now. He could be torturing them for all I knew, killing them even, and I was laying in a big, warm bed trying to sleep. It just didn't feel right.

Kicking the sheets off me, I stretched on the edge of the bed. It was still dark outside, the moonlight was just barely lighting the bedroom through the closed cloth curtains. I got up quietly and tiptoed from the room trying not to wake anyone up. I could hear Bobby snoring from the room over. I peeked in Sam's room on my way to the stairs to see him passed out, his entire form hogging the whole bed. I was glad I didn't have to share with him, there wouldn't have been any room.

I tiptoed downstairs quietly, pausing every time the stair creaked under my feet. Once I reached the bottom I paused. Dean was sitting upright on the couch watching me in the dark. It startled me, causing me to jump backwards and nearly trip over the bottom stair.

I cleared my throat. "I didn't realize you were awake," I said awkwardly, tugging a strand of my blonde hair between my fingers.

"I'm lucky if I get a couple hours now and then," he told me. "You can't sleep either?"

I shook my head. "No. I can't stop thinking about my family. I feel like I should be doing something, not just hanging out here at Bobby's."

Dean slid over to the side of the couch and gestured for me to sit down. I hesitated a moment before I headed over and took a seat near him, making sure I left a big enough space between us.

"I know how you feel. Like every moment you aren't spending solving a case or saving someone's life you're just wasting it." Dean sighed. "I've felt that way plenty of times when Sammy got himself into trouble. There'd be times I'd hit a dead end and had nowhere to go and nothing to go on."

I watched as he went on. He was staring at the blank TV across the room as he spoke.

"I used to beat myself up many nights, just trying to find something to give me a lead. I wouldn't sleep or eat. I drank a lot though," he said, adding a little chuckle. He shook his head before turning to look at me. "The point is, you're doing all you can right now for your family. Don't beat yourself up too much. We'll save them, I promise."

His right hand reached across and landed gently on my left knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I hadn't been expecting that and found myself staring at his hand. Once he realized what he was doing he quickly cleared his throat and removed his hand.

"I could use a beer though," Dean said after a moment, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen. "What do you say?"

For once I finally thought I was beginning to understand why Dean was always drinking. All this pressure he felt; this weight of the world he put on himself. For once I thought I was starting to understand him.

"Yeah," I said, smiling a little, "I could use a drink."


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews! Sorry this one took so long to get up; just was a crazy weekend for me. Hopefully I'll get the next part up tomorrow sometime!**

* * *

Light was shining onto my closed eyelids. Throwing a hand to my face to block the sunlight before trying to turn over, I realized I wasn't in the bed I had claimed upstairs. I was leaning against something warm. Slowly opening my eyes, I turned my head to realize I had fallen asleep sitting up against Dean. Appalled, I jumped away quickly. I glanced around the room to make sure no one was a witness to this. When I didn't see anyone, I let out a sigh of relief. Across the room I saw a clock with bright red letters telling me it was just after six thirty. Everyone should still be asleep.

Carefully I got up from the couch, making sure not to wake up Dean's lightly snoring figure in the process. I spotted Bobby's coffee table littered with empty beer bottles from our early morning encounter. We must have fallen asleep talking after a few drinks.

Tiptoeing up the stairs, I glanced back over my shoulder. Dean was still fast asleep sitting upright, his head awkwardly leaning to the side on his shoulder. I stifled a laugh at the thought of how sore his neck would be when he woke up. The moment he began fidgeting on the couch I turned and raced up the stairs, hoping he didn't wake up and see me. I was hoping when he woke up he wouldn't be aware that we had cuddled on the couch for part of the morning. How could I explain that one away? The last thing I needed was one of his smarmy comments about how irresistible he was.

I snuck past the room Sam was sleeping in and glanced in it real quick. He was still asleep just as I'd suspected. Hopefully he hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night for a glass of water. Without anymore detours I headed back into the room I had originally intended to sleep in last night and crawled under the covers.

I didn't manage to get much more sleep before I woke up to the sounds of people moving about downstairs in the kitchen. I could just make out Bobby's voice.

Stretching, I kicked my feet from under the covers and made my way downstairs to see all three guys in the kitchen. Surprisingly it was Sam who was making eggs while Bobby and Dean were sitting at the kitchen table. They both glanced up when I entered the room and I did my best to avoid much eye contact with Dean.

"How'd you sleep?" Bobby asked me.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Dean staring very intently at the newspaper in front of him.

"Not too bad. Eventually," I answered. "Since when did you get all domestic, Sam?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

Dean snorted but didn't look up from the paper.

"So what's the plan?" I asked. "As much as I'd love a vacation, I need to find where my family is."

"You could always just summon Crowley." Dean said, throwing out a quirky grin from over the top of his newspaper.

"You know what, that's actually-"

"No," Bobby said, cutting me off mid-sentence. "You are not summoning Crowley. Especially not in my house."

"Why not? Your place is the safest place to summon any demon, Bobby," I pointed out.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Why would you summon the demon that's looking for you?" Bobby shot out in disbelief.

"Alright," I conceded, "so maybe not him in particular, but a demon who could help us get the answers I need."

"She has a point," Sam said thoughtfully. "They're already after her. Bringing Crowley here would be a terrible idea, but maybe someone not as important but who could give us info on where he is. It'd be a smarter idea to surprise them before they can surprise us."

Bobby sat at the table and continued to give me a stern look. "I'm not comfortable with this idea."

"I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"I think you should listen to Bobby."

I jumped in my seat, spinning around to see the angel standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Damn it, Cas!" Dean said, clearly irritated that he had once again popped up out of nowhere. "Why can't you show up announced for once?"

"I'm sorry," Castiel responded in his monotone voice. "But I heard your conversation and I felt I had to stop you from summoning any demons."

"Then what do you suggest?" Sam asked as he turned the stove off before he turned and gave the conversation his full attention.

"I have a proposition to make," Castiel offered.

"Which is?" I asked impatiently.

"If you do what I ask, I can help you. I know where Crowley has your family."

"Great, let's go," Dean said, pushing his chair back and standing up.

"If you knew then why didn't you say something sooner?" I asked, eyeing the angel suspiciously. Sam and Dean supposedly trusted him quite a bit, but ever since I'd first met him the other day he just seemed like he was hiding something.

"I'll tell you where they are, but Emily cannot go," Castiel responded casually, as if he hadn't just told me that I couldn't go rescue my family and would have to sit here instead.

"You're kidding, right?"

Castiel only remained still and stiff in the kitchen entrance, his empty eyes watching me.

"What's your angle, boy?" Bobby asked him curiously. "Is there a good enough reason she has to stay out of everything?"

"There is a reason Crowley wants her entire family," Castiel answered him vaguely, though his eyes remained on me. "She'd be handing herself over to him. That's something I can't allow to happen for reasons I can't disclose right now."

"Look pal, I know you don't know me, but I can handle myself," I shot angrily.

That might have been a little bit of a lie, but I wasn't going to just sit back and leave it up to the Winchesters to save my family. That wasn't going to happen.

"She stays here, safe, or I don't tell you the information I have," Castiel negotiated calmly, taking a few steps into the room.

I glanced between the brothers, taking in their calculating expressions. Sam refused to make eye contact with me across the room. I could tell he would agree to that stipulation without a problem. Bobby already seemed ready to accept holding me hostage here for the duration necessary. He had that stern fatherly look on his face when he looked back at me. Dean was the only one who seemed to be on my side at all.

"You know we wouldn't let anything happen to her," Dean told Castiel. "She'd be safe with us. You can't really expect her to just sit here."

The angel stood there tightlipped. He wasn't going to change his mind apparently.

"Stubborn asshole," I muttered under my breath.

"That's not fair, Cas," Dean threw out.

When Castiel still didn't say anything, Dean raised a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, deep in thought. He let out a long sigh before he shot me a sympathetic look.

"It doesn't look like we have a choice but to leave you behind on this. If we take the time to find your family on our own we could be wasting a lot of time."

I could feel the anger rising in me but I tried to hold it back. It's not like me throwing a fit would change anyone's mind.

"Get your things, you need to leave now," Castiel told the brothers.

Sam made his way out of the kitchen, not needing to be told twice, but Dean gave the eggs Sam had just made a look of longing before he left.

"Calm down," Bobby said, trying to be soothing when he noticed my hands balled into fists at my sides. "Those boys will take care of everything."

"That isn't the point," I growled out.

They were my family and they were in trouble, and all I was going to do was sit at Bobby's with my fingers crossed? Just hope someone else would solve all my problems? Someone that, only a few days ago, had me cringing at the thought of spending any amount of time with them?

I made my way into the living room and watched as the two were throwing on their jackets and tossing their bags over their shoulders.

Sam paused to give me a hesitant hug before promising to keep me updated on everything. He headed outside and started loading his bags into the Impala's trunk while Castiel watched him with an empty look on his face. The angel looked like he was strictly business today with how straight to the point he had been and how unfeeling he seemed.

"Hey, uhm," Dean said awkwardly as he stopped in front of me on his way out. He adjusted the strap of the bag on his arm before he finally looked me in the eye. "Just, stay put, will you? We'll fix this mess, don't worry about it. Your family will be back home in no time."

Without even waiting for a response he turned on his heel and headed outside. He tossed his bag into the trunk of the car before joining his brother and Castiel in the vehicle. The Impala roared to life, sounding almost as angry as I felt. Sam was sitting with the map unfolded in his lap as Dean started backing the car up. He shot Bobby and I one last serious look before he put the car in drive. They were out of sight within thirty seconds.

"_Just, stay put, will you?" _

Dean's words continued to run through my head.

Stay put while my family was in danger? I thought he would've been more understanding after the talk we had had this morning. If the roles had been reversed and Sam needed help, no way in Hell would Dean just stay put.

"Come on, breakfast is going to get cold," Bobby said, ushering me into the kitchen with a hand on my back. "Might as well not let Sam's cooking go to waste."

Following Bobby into the kitchen, my mind was racing at everything that had just happened. While Bobby handed me a plate of lukewarm eggs, my mind was somewhere else other than in the kitchen.

One thing was for sure, I wasn't going to just stay put.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the review BrittWitt16! Sorry this took me some time to update, I just have periods of time where I'm incredibly busy. I've been meaning to update for a bit now and hopefully I'll be updating again soon before something else comes up. I haven't given up writing this story and reviews like that let me know that people are still reading this! Glad you like it!**

* * *

The television in the other room was on the news with the volume just barely audible for me to make out the current story. Apparently some gas station had been robbed earlier in the day and the suspect had finally been apprehended.

Drying the last plate from dinner, I set it up in the cabinet and shut the door before placing the drying towel back. I sauntered into the living room to find Bobby in the process of nodding off in front of the TV, the remote looked as if it had long ago fallen out of his hand with the way it was lying on the floor. Bending down, I picked it up and turned off the TV.

"Bobby," I said gently as I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Bobby," I said again trying to wake him.

He jolted awake with a snort. "Sorry, guess I fell asleep there."

"It's late, you should probably go to bed. The guys will call if they have anything to tell us."

He eyed me strangely then for a moment before getting up and slowly stretching. "You're right, it's late. You should get some sleep too."

"Yeah," I answered indifferently.

He paused and offered me a sympathetic look. "Look Emily, I understand this is hard for you to sit here while your family is in danger, but those boys are more than capable. If anyone can help them besides you, it's them. Just try to relax, they'll keep us updated."

I nodded halfheartedly. "Yeah," I said again.

Bobby slowly made his way upstairs, glancing back at me once he reached the top step.

I waved a hand at him dismissively. "I'll be up in a moment, just going to make sure everything's locked up down here while we sleep. I might try giving the guys a call."

He nodded his head once and then turned around and made his way to his room.

Making my way to the front door, I checked it was locked. At the very least it might keep some burglars at bay if they ever tried to hit up Bobby's place. Afterwards I checked the devil's traps and various other spells that I knew were hidden around the rooms and various entry points. I wasn't planning on staying long, but I wanted to make sure Bobby was at least going to be safe after I left.

Once my search of the house was complete and I felt satisfied, I sat down on the couch and pulled out my phone. I pulled up my small contact list and stopped at a name not too far down from the top. My finger hovered over the call button for a moment before I decided to push the button, telling myself it was just because his name came first alphabetically.

The phone rang for a few times before it was finally picked up.

"Was expecting you to call sooner," Dean answered.

"Bobby kept telling me to let you guys drive and not to distract you otherwise I would have," I responded.

Dean chuckled briefly. "We're only about halfway there, we just stopped at a motel for a place to sleep for a couple hours and we'll be on the road again. Not really much else to report yet. Cas didn't really give us much other than an address."

"Which is?" I prompted him.

There was a slow sigh on his end. "Emily I wish I could tell you. I wish you could have come with, I can't imagine how tough this must be for you, but Castiel said it's important you stay there. I don't know what's going on but if he thinks that's best, then maybe it is."

I chewed my lip at Dean's sudden change in the tone of his voice. It reminded me of last night when we had stayed up talking and drinking. This was a new side to him I hadn't seen until now. Or had it always been there and I just hadn't let myself see it?

"Right," I said, clearing my throat quickly. "Well, I guess I'll let you two sleep so you can get back on the road."

"I'm sorry, Emily," Dean said in that same soft and gentle tone that made him sound sympathetic.

"Goodnight, Dean," I replied before hanging up.

I didn't like the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach as I stared at my phone for a moment, thinking about the way he'd sounded on the phone. Taking a deep breath, I put my phone back in my pocket and slowly crept up the stairs. Bobby was snoring faintly down the hall already fast asleep just as I'd hoped.

I gathered the few things of mine that were scattered around the guest room I had been staying in and shoved them into my duffle bag. Throwing the strap over my shoulder, I tiptoed out of the room and down the hallway to the staircase. I shot one last quick glance over my shoulder towards the darkened doorway to Bobby's room. He was still snoring peacefully.

It wasn't long before I was outside the house and locking the front door after me. My car was still sitting parked where I had left it when I first showed up at Bobby's. I opened the trunk and dropped my bags in there, making sure I had a few things of importance in the front of the car in case of an emergency.

The car rumbled to life when I finally put the key into the ignition. The sound cut through the silence of the night, sounding louder than normal. I held my breath for a moment with my fingers crossed that Bobby hadn't woken up. When he didn't come rushing out of the house after me I pulled myself onto the main road and made my way into town until I found a gas station. I filled up my car and went inside to grab some coffee to keep me awake through the night. Once I found myself back in my car I whipped out my cell phone. Opening my inbox I opened one of the mysterious texts I had gotten the other day.

I chewed my lip nervously in thought before I hit the reply button. Staring at the blank screen, I forced up some courage to type up a message to the mysterious sender.

**Where are you?**

I stared at the three words before I took a deep breath and hit send. For awhile I sat in uncomfortable silence before I decided to turn the radio on and the heat up. It was cold in the car, but I wasn't sure if that was the reason behind the goosebumps raised on my arms as I waited impatiently for a reply.

I didn't know what I was going to do if there wasn't a response; I hadn't thought that far ahead. As minutes went by I began wishing I'd taken some things from Bobby's. If this idea failed I could have gotten a motel room and summoned a demon and tried to formulate a plan from there.

Watching the clock on the dashboard I saw the little red numbers change to 2:43. I took another sip on my coffee as I felt my eyes begin to droop. Just when I was about to give up and find a motel, my phone began vibrating in the cup holder I'd set it in.

Hesitantly I picked it up and saw it was from that same unknown number. I took a few deep breaths before I opened it up. An address was inside which would take me to Ohio. Immediately I pulled my GPS out and typed in the address.

Before I could pull out of the parking lot, my phone was vibrating again in the cupholder. I snatched it up immediately and saw it was from that same number. My heart began to race when I read it.

**Please hurry. We need you.**


End file.
